The present invention relates to the storage and reporting of various aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data and, more particularly, to an automated system and method for capturing and reporting various aircraft aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data related to aircraft product maintenance, repair, and overhaul.
Aircraft and the various systems, parts, and components that make up each aircraft are robustly designed and operate safely. Nonetheless, the parts and components of the aircraft systems may sometimes wear from usage, which may result in the need to remove the system, or portions of the system, from the aircraft, and to analyze, repair, and/or overhaul the removed system or portion thereof. In addition, some aircraft systems, or portions of systems, may be periodically removed from the aircraft and overhauled, as part of a preventive maintenance program.
In one method of implementing aircraft component repair and overhaul service, when a customer sends a system, part or component, such as an aircraft jet engine, to a supplier repair-and-overhaul facility, it is first logged in to a log book (or xe2x80x9cBuild Bookxe2x80x9d) using some type of identifying indicia such as, for example, a repair order number, an engine model number, a serial number, a customer number, or a combination thereof. A technician then completes an induction form, which is used to record various types of preliminary information about the engine, and various sections of the engine. Such information may include, for example, the reason the engine was returned, descriptions of the physical condition of the engine and its various sections, and any repair parts received with the engine. The amount and type of information may vary with the particular engine model. After the induction form is complete, the technician signs it, places it in the Build Book, and forwards it on for further disposition by an engineer.
The engineer, upon receipt of the Build Book and induction form, may enter this induction data into a local database. The engineer may also determine the amount and type of repairs needed on the engine, and the amount and type of post-repair testing that should be performed on the engine. This engineering disposition data is also recorded entered into a local database. The engine is then repaired and retested, and the results of the post-repair tests are recorded in a database, which may or may not be the same database into which the engineering disposition data is recorded.
Thereafter, the engineer may prepare an engineering report for the customer, which outlines at least the induction findings data generated by the technician, the engineering disposition data, the repair and post-repair test data, and any additional information and/or data that may have been noted during the repair and/or retest of the engine. A copy of the engineering report is then sent to the customer.
Although the above-described process has worked well and has resulted in the successful repair, overhaul, and maintenance of numerous aircraft engines and other systems, parts, and components, it suffers certain drawbacks. For example, when the technician is filling out the induction form, he or she may need to walk back and forth between his or her desk and the physical location of the engine, which can adversely effect efficiency. The amount and type of data that the technician records on an induction form may vary, depending on the particular engine model. Thus, the technician may need to remember all these differences or may need to consult with other technicians, which can reduce efficiency and/or present the possibility of non-recordation of sufficient induction data.
Further, many engineers use different software databases to store the engineering data (e.g., the engineering disposition data and the repair and post repair test data) for the various engines for which each may be responsible, and there is no standard format for recording or accessing the engineering data. Additionally, many of the databases are only local databases, stored on each engineer""s individual computers. Thus, some engineers may record differing amounts and types of data, and if another engineer wants access to the engineering data that is the responsibility of another engineer, he or she may not be able to access it, or it may not be recorded or stored at all. Moreover, because the engineering data is not centrally located, and terminology is not standardized, engineering data analysis across customers, products, and product lines may be difficult.
In addition to the above, the format of the customer reports that each engineer generates may not be standardized in either layout or content. This can be inconvenient and potentially confusing for customers, as well as other engineers and managers. Also, some of the engineering data that is entered by an engineer, and which is used in generating a customer report, are identical to data that are, in some instances, stored in other databases that may not be accessible or compatible with the database or other software the engineer is using to generate a customer report. Thus, the engineer may need to enter this data manually, which can be inefficient and increase costs. Moreover, if the customer requests additional data, it may be difficult to collect or find.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method that addresses one or more of the drawbacks noted above. Namely, a system and method that provides uniformity in the amount and type of data that a technician records on an induction form, and/or alleviates the need for a technician to walk back and forth between his or her desk and the physical location of the engine or part, and/or provides consistency in the format, amount, and location of stored engineering data, and/or ready access to engineering data by other engineers, and/or provides standardized content and layout of customer reports, and/or alleviates the need for engineers to enter certain data stored in other related databases, and/or allows engineering data analysis across customers, products, and product lines. The present invention addresses one or more of these drawbacks.
The present invention provides a system and method for efficiently capturing, storing, and reporting maintenance, repair, and overhaul data. The system and method provides uniformity amongst various systems, parts, and components in the amount and type of data that is captured and stored, and stores the data in a centralized location that is accessible both by a company""s workforce and, in some instances, its customers.
In one embodiment, and by way of example only, a system for capturing and reporting aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data includes a first server computer, repair and overhaul data storage database, a customer repair and overhaul data supply database, and a second server computer. The first server computer is operable to transmit one or more user interface web pages that are formatted to display one or more aerospace product-related repair and overhaul queries and associated data entry regions, each of which is formatted to receive aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data that is entered therein from a client computer that is in operable communication with the first server computer and that is displaying one or more of the user interface web pages. The repair and overhaul data storage database is in communication with the first server computer to receive and store at least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entered into the associated aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entry regions. The customer repair and overhaul data supply database is coupled to receive and store at least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data from the repair and overhaul data storage database. The second server computer is in communication with the customer repair and overhaul data supply database and is operable, in response to a command from a client computer that is in operable communication with the second server computer, to retrieve and transmit at least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data from the customer repair and overhaul data supply database.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method of capturing and reporting aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data includes transmitting one or more user interface web pages that are formatted to display one or more aerospace product-related repair and overhaul queries and associated data entry regions. Each aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entry region is formatted to receive aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data that is entered therein from a client computer that is displaying one or more of the user interface web pages. At least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entered into the associated aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entry regions is received and stored in a repair and overhaul data storage database. At least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data from the repair and overhaul data storage database is received and stored in a customer repair and overhaul data supply database. At least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data from the customer repair and overhaul data supply database is retrieved and transmitted, in response to a command from a client computer.
In still another exemplary embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable code for instructing one or more server computers to perform the steps of transmitting one or more user interface web pages that are formatted to display one or more aerospace product-related repair and overhaul queries and associated data entry regions. Each aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entry region is formatted to receive aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data that is entered therein from a client computer that is displaying one or more of the user interface web pages. At least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entered into the associated aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data entry regions is received and stored in a repair and overhaul data storage database. At least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data from the repair and overhaul data storage database is received and stored in a customer repair and overhaul data supply database. At least a portion of the aerospace product-related repair and overhaul data from the customer repair and overhaul data supply database is retrieved and transmitted, in response to a command from a client computer.
Other independent features and advantages of the preferred data capturing and reporting system and method will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.